AIR FRANCE review : 17 May 2008 : by Bruce Sutherland

Customer Rating : 3/5

Paris-Johannesburg return: space in Air France is definitely not given priority. At 6'1", I'm not overly tall or wide, but found it very cramped and uncomfortable. On both legs I requested an exit or bulkhead seat and was told these were unavailable, only to notice at least one of them unoccupied on each journey. Those which were occupied were generally by someone significantly shorter than myself, so don't expect AF to make any allowances if you're over 6 foot. Service was alright, but one meal came without cutlery and I had to ask 3 times before the stewardess bothered to bring me some.

AIR FRANCE review : 16 May 2008 : by H Lokhorst

Customer Rating : 4/5

Athens-CDG. Exit row on A320 is quite roomy more leg space, and correct explanation by staff about emergency procedures. Food was for a economy meal outstanding. Landing on time CDG. One thing the staff have to work on their English because the speak fast and unhearable.

AIR FRANCE review : 13 May 2008 : by Kim Buxton

Customer Rating : 4/5

Oslo-Singapore return via CDG in economy. Oslo-CDG good legroom and they serve drinks and food without having to pay for it. 777 to Singapore compared to the last intercontinental Air France flight I took about 18 months ago (to Houston), something seemed to have changed - inflight service still very good (especially the food), but cabin layout is now 3x4x3 instead of 3x3x3. Apparently the new thinner seats give more legroom, but the width of the seat is far reduced compared with earlier. At 6'1, my shoulders are quite wide, so they were constantly bumped by passing crew and passengers as I sat in an aisle seat. It did make me wonder if anyone over 85 kg would ever manage to get out of these seats - it would probably be a tight squeeze. Like the service, hate the new cabins on the 777's.

AIR FRANCE review : 11 May 2008 : by Joan Lister

Customer Rating : 1/5

I have just returned from Newcastle airport seeing off a group of 13 Italian 5 year olds with their 5 staff members. The automatic check in was worse than useless in this case and the staff seemed to be at a loss as how to assist us. After a great week in Newcastle I'm afraid my Italian colleagues and their little charges left with a very poor view of Air France and of UK apparent lack of flexibility. The rating below is about this particular trip and is not a general rating!

AIR FRANCE review : 10 May 2008 : by F Meyer

Customer Rating : 1/5

Business Class CDG-Schiphol. Check in automated - no desks available. My automated check-in failed and I had to be checked-in manually. There were several other customers with this problem but they refused to open a check-in desk. Then, my plane hit a bird on take-off and the pilot quite rightly flew back to CDG. The staff there were unhelpful, made us wait for 3 hours with no refreshments to be told there was no flight. They insisted that we had been told this before! It was appalling, no apology and a 'you're in my way' attitude. On arrival to the overnight hotel, there were several Air France passengers from other flights there - it appeared to be a common problem.

AIR FRANCE review : 10 May 2008 : by J Kunnari

Customer Rating : 1/5

CDG-Lisbon business. A320 worn out and cramped. FA's polite but not customer friendly. The main job seemed to be to offer your meal, collect it back in 15 minutes and disappear behind the curtain never to show up again. Meal was horrible. You had to order all the drinks at the same time including coffee. Economy class had the same meal. So what's the difference between economy and business - Air France in short haul? Never again.

AIR FRANCE review : 5 May 2008 : by Michael Bruter

Customer Rating : 2/5

I have been a strong supporter of Air France for years (and a Flying Blue Platinum passenger for years too), but I think that slowly (especially since the fusion with KLM) their ethos has changed for the worse as an airline. Recent trip London-Auckland (with KLM) return Melbourne-London (with Air France). On the Singapore-Paris leg, I found out that Air France have now gone for a 'charter' configuration of 10 abreast in their B777-300, thus imitating KLM despite numerous complaints from passengers (not least on this site). My IFE was also broken despite the plane being brand new. This comes on top of an outbound from hell (KLM flight from London was delayed, resulting in a missed connection an 30 hours of delay) and two major problems in February with Air France (two flights from London City cancelled, both resulting in delays of 4 and 5 hours and an arrival at Heathrow instead of London City). Staff usually very nice, but Air France is not interested in the customer anymore in their way to handle problems when they occur. Things used to be better but are consistently deteriorated, particularly when leaving from Heathrow where Air France does not handle services directly but created the obscure AFSL to save money. AFSL has notoriously less accommodating attitudes than the 'real' Air France when problems occur (delays, cancelled flights, etc). This all makes me sad because Air France used to be head and shoulders above most other European airlines when it came to its dealings with passengers. Staff members in the ground and in flight are usually very nice and were mostly feeling sorry for me in these various cases of delays and cancellations but clearly, they are not allowed to do anything to help. Profit comes first, and the passenger well later.

AIR FRANCE review : 5 May 2008 : by S Lawrence

Customer Rating : 4/5

Southampton-Paris-Seoul Incheon economy. SOU early morning with no queues anywhere and straight through to departure. Selection of pastries offered onboard + drinks too. Early arrival at CDG and no need to change terminals; quickly through security to departure area. CDG shops and decor improved since last visit. Flight to ICN boarded quickly and left on time. Aircraft (777-300ER) not full so moved to quieter aisle seat - oddly it had about 2 inches more legroom than original seat which was very handy as I am tall (note that flight purchased online at AF Web Site which allows seat pre-selection - front of Economy shown as totally full which it was not). IFE fine; amenity kits handed out and Champagne served with nice meal. Plenty of drinks and nibbles at self-serve counter through flight. Breakfast shortly before arriving on time & soon disembarked at ICN. Bags turned up in 10 mins and had been given 'short connection' labels to whizz them through CDG which was good. Return journey: flight full (Korean holiday) and staff kept very busy onboard once left on time again. Food great, seat Ok and IFE alright (alas same selection of films as outbound journey). Self-serve bar kept topped up plus noodles and ice-cream served as snack part-way through flight. Arrived at CDG slightly early - bit of a trek to departure lounge but no problems getting there or through security either. Flight back to SOU slightly delayed due to late transfer passengers but only by 20 mins. Got to SOU fine and bags available promptly - no complaints at all with whole AF experience and more than happy to fly with them again on this route.

AIR FRANCE review : 5 May 2008 : by V Mitchell

Customer Rating : 4/5

EDI-NRT return via CDG Economy. Bagged a bulkhead seat on the outbound Tokyo leg on 777-200 which had extra legroom and was very comfortable. Had a little fold away video screen but was adequate. Food was good, choice of two mains and was presented nicely. Amenity pack was a bit paltry but it was economy afterall and going via CDG meant no transfer at Heathrow, a bonus. FAs were friendly and there was lots of snacks and drinks in the galley. On way back on 777-300 got a really bad seat. It was two seats together that had been shoe-horned into a space in front of the galley in the middle of the plane and were sloping downwards slightly. Sore back for most of the 13-hour flight. Overall was fine, all flights left on time and bags appeared safely at other end. On a par with BA but not as comfortable as Emirates economy.

AIR FRANCE review : 30 April 2008 : by Paul Jacobsen

Customer Rating : 4/5

CDG-ARN in economy. Online check-in was fairly easy to use; I had no problem getting a window seat and self-printing my boarding card. Legroom on the A321 was standard. For a European flight, service and catering were excellent. I got a full lunch comprising of a tasty chèvre and tomato pie, chocolate cake, coffee and complimentary wine. Cabin crew was smiling. The only downside was the boarding; two flights using the same gate resulted in a long and chaotic boarding process.

AIR FRANCE review : 30 April 2008 : by Roy Manry

Customer Rating : 5/5

ATL-CDG Economy. This was the first of a four leg flight to Egypt via Air France. New or newer A340 on the run, seats comfortable and impressive list of movies and music. Economy dinner way better and actually very good over any US carrier, including the beloved brie, bread and bordeaux that only the French can master. All flights departed and arrived on time.

AIR FRANCE review : 30 April 2008 : by J Kemp

Customer Rating : 2/5

CDG-MIA-CDG in business. Check-in at CDG was abysmal, taking 2 hours from curbside to boarding gate! AF has a policy that anyone holding a gold or platinum card can use the Business class check- in zone, regardless of the class of service they are travelling in. This results in scores of people travelling in Economy class using the business zone, with the whole process backing up beyond belief. This, combined with the absolutely unbelievable inefficiency of Aeroports de Paris - the luggage belts broke down at the check-in counters - made this experience thoroughly miserable. By the time we got through security - which was also backed up - we had to run to boarding gate, where AF had not provided for any priority boarding. In the air - mediocre service, with average food and looping videos. On the return flight, service in the air was slightly better than on the outbound, but still not what I would call service worthy of the premium in price paid.

AIR FRANCE review : 29 April 2008 : by Ian Gallagher

Customer Rating : 5/5

Shannon to Stockholm and return from Paris. Overall I was very impressed with Air France as they have maintained the style and standard of the old legacy airlines, and the cost was reasonable at €320. First flight was from Shannon to Paris, which was very good. When I went to check in there was no queue, so check in was fast and the check in agent was very friendly. The flight was operated by a small regional jet, which was great as the seating was in 1 x 2 seating arrangement. Only one small criticism would be, there is little overhead baggage space on this aircraft. Inflight service which consisted of a chocolate croissant, yogurt and a drink, all complementary which is a very nice change from Aer Lingus and Ryanair. The single flight attendant was polite and did all announcements in English and French. Paris CDG is good for transiting, and as I was only transiting with in Terminal 2F, there was little walking involved. The flight to Stockholm was on an Airbus 321 and again the agent in Shannon, had allocated me a window seat, which was great, plus the seat next to me was vacant which made for more leg room. The flight was excellent, with a full meal service with complementary wine. The crew were approachable and friendly, and made an effort to communicate with non French speaking passengers in English. Return flight from Paris to Shannon was very similar to the outbound flight, check in at Paris was great with the self service check in machines, with a helpful Air France agent on hand, to help check in. The flight again was on the small regional jet, which was fine. There was an in-flight meal of a sandwich and drinks and again I found the flight attendant courteous through out the flight. Overall I was very impressed with Air France, compared to other European airlines I have flown with; they have an excellent in-flight product.

AIR FRANCE review : 27 April 2008 : by D Eudes

Customer Rating : 1/5

PVG Shanghai-CDG economy class. Both PTV's were out of order on my seat and my wife's one - when I told a cabin crew, the guy rudely replied I just had to sleep instead! Served food (the only good thing that remains) very early on the 12hr flight and 2 hours later everybody was starving, and all they granted us with were the same old appetizer peanuts! When I ask for some snack, the same guy just replied "no" and shut the curtain to make sure I would leave him in peace. We finally managed to change seats, and PTVs were down too! I will never fly AF again.

AIR FRANCE review : 26 April 2008 : by Drew Fairbanks

Customer Rating : 3/5

ROM-CDG-JFK. Rome to CDG in Business, which is a joke, same economy seats with the middle seat blocked out. The only advantage was the lounge access in Rome and a dedicated check in counter. The meal even looked the same as the economy class meal, which was not good. CDG-JFK in first. This was very nice, but service was not much better then what you find in their business class. The seats looked a bit worn and the AV system was down the entire flight. They made a brief apology at the end of the flight and that was it. The food was good, but not great, and the wine selection was not exceptional either. It seems that Air France needs to update their first class product, because there is no way it should warrant the price they want for it over business class.

AIR FRANCE review : 23 April 2008 : by Kevin O'Doherty

Customer Rating : 4/5

YYZ-CDG / BOD-CDG-YYZ economy class. We checked-in online and this made life very easy. Extremely friendly at YYZ check-in.Sat upper deck 747-400. Professional service and a decent meal. Champagne offered. PTV a bit wonky but the crew ironed out problem. Return flights A321 and A340-300. CDG-YYZ was slightly delayed but passengers kept informed and we arrived pretty much on time. Airbus feels somewhat more cramped than the 747, but it is economy and doesn't differ from other transatlantic carriers in that regard. Champagne offered throughout the flight, food acceptable. I feel that we got value for our money and on my 60th transatlantic crossing (the first in the back of the bus in quite a while) I felt well looked-after and safe.

AIR FRANCE review : 22 April 2008 : by Hugo Laporte

Customer Rating : 2/5

I had heard many positive comments about this airline but was very disappointed. Return flight BRU- CDG-YUL. Plane left Paris with a 4-hour delay, staff kept us informed every half hour to say the delay was not known, that the plane could depart any minute so we had to stay put near the gate. No food served before we complained about the delay (3 hours at the time), my two kids were starving and getting extremely tired (departure scheduled at 4pm, we left at 8pm). The aircraft was comfortable, clean and FA's were friendly (not over-friendly, but ok). I found FA's in KLM and BA flights much friendlier. Food was very good but not too warm, perhaps because we sat at the front of economy. On the return flight to Paris, delayed 1.5 hours, unfriendly staff, IFE out of order. Landed at CDG half an hour late, taxiing to the gate took half an hour, walking to baggage claim was awfully long (but luggage took even longer to get there!), missed my connections to BRU, had to rebook on a later high speed train to BRU, had to wait three hours in the terminal. Overall, nice aircraft (B777-300ER) with nice IFE (on the first flight it did not malfunction), staff was ok on first flight, unfriendly on second flight, delays without explanation. I am not sure I'll fly Air France again. I have booked US airways to PHL on my next flight (despite bad comments, I give them a chance). Thought paying more for Air France would deliver result - am going to save some money this time. So far I had my better flights with KLM. And Amsterdam is one great airport, much better than CDG or LHR for connections and luggage.

Air France review - by P Lawrence

16 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Edinburgh via Paris to Toronto on Air France. On arrival in Canada we were told our bags were missing. Long story short, despite phoning airline every day, my bag only turned up one week later - the day we flew home (the other bag turned up after two days). Briefly saw my case, which had been languishing in Air France's lost luggage room, before it was checked in for the flight to Paris. And guess what, the airline lost them again on the way home. As I write, I have still not seen my luggage. Throughout this sorry episode, Air France staff I have spoken to have ranged from unhelpful to rude. I swear you can almost hear some of them giving an emphatic Gallic shrug on the other end of the phone. I certainly won't be flying with Air France again.

Air France review - by J Olstead

16 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

The worst thing about Air France, after their 'don't give a damn' attitude, is the impossibility of complaining about it. Having lost my baggage on an Air France Havana-Manchester flight the company has made no effort to recover the case, despite the fact that they apparently know it is still in Havana and have a daily flight which could carry it. It is impossible to complain - staff speak poor English, cannot refer you to their supervisor/manager and refuse to tell you where, or to whom, written complaints should be sent. On the 10-hour flight the second snack (it doesn't deserve to be called a meal) was served at the last possible minute before we landed. There is, apparently, no French word for customer services.

Air France review - by J Caceres

16 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

CDG-JNB return economy Boeing 777-300ER. The seats in Tempo class are good, the seat cushion pushes forward a bit, which makes for a very good support under your bottom, and there are foot-rests. The downside is that half of the aircraft is first class and business class. In order to get some business out of it, the economy class is crammed. Which means, when the guy in front of you leans backwards you have his seat in your face - unless you lean backwards too. Also, trying to get out from a window or middle seat is virtually impossible, without disturbing two rows of people. Entertainment good, quite modern films. The personal screens are somewhat dodgy to use, the touch screen tends to become a bit tired and dark. Staff are generally nice and attentive. They could sometimes improve their command of English, especially the people talking on the PA. There was a 45 minutes delay in Johannesburg, we were fully loaded and just waiting to go - but no one bothered to tell us why we were delayed.

Air France review - by K McKirdy

15 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

CDG-AMS-GLA. Have had another bad flight experience with Air France (AF1740 on 08/04). AF A320 went "tech" whilst waiting to be bussed to the aircraft. New aircraft arranged at different gate. AF gate staff then announced the flight to AMS was "postponed" then 10 mins later stated the aircraft would depart to AMS after it had been cleaned! Prior to boarding a passenger jumped the gate due to some mental issue and was calmed by AF staff. Problem passenger then caused another incident at the gate by trying to get to the aircraft before proper boarding had commenced. Medical staff/Security/Police called at different times which lead to a fair delay. Missed my connection at AMS and had a 6 hour wait for flight back to Glasgow with KLM (who were great). So that's 5 bad flights out of 5 with Air France over the years. A very poor airline and best avoided.

Air France review - by A Edgington

15 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

MAN-CDG-MRU return business class. Check in a Manchester a joke. I have flown on many different airlines with my diabetic eqpt and had no problem at all. Air France initally refused to allow me to travel unless I put my insulin in my hold luggage (for a 13 hour flight). Advertised priority luggage and aircraft boarding. Non existant for the whole journey. Rang Air France to check IFE and was told it would be the latest - it was the old loop system. Showed the same films on both journeys. Website showed the only terminal I would be flying from was 2F. Both planes landing at CDG stopped at 2E and no info was given. Only plus point was staff onboard, they were excellent. Bought whiskey at MRU and staff there checked with Air France to make sure I could bring the whisky into the UK via CDG - they said yes, CDG said no!

Air France review - by K Peris

12 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LHR-LAX-LHR return. Inflight service better than on-ground service in both countries. Seating in economy is adequate on the 777 aircraft even for a tall person. Food and attentiveness of cabin staff, exceeded expectations. Inflight entertainment on-demand outbound, looped on the return, but had a good selection of films etc. 2 good meals served and snacks/drinks available between meals in the galley.Outbound (inaugural flight between LHR and LAX direct) punctual. Inbound flight 20 min delayed departure but arrived in LHR on time.

Air France review - by Simon Harrison

9 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

YUL-CDG-MAN in Economy. Arrived at check-in at YUL about 2 hours prior to departure - no queue. Agent was at first unwilling to check me in for my connection to MAN, telling me I'd have to collect my boarding pass at CDG. He did change his mind after I insisted (stating it was a short connection) but I found this strange as I've never encountered such a situation with either AF or any other airline. YUL-CDG very good overall - crew friendly and helpful, food and IFE good - an on-time departure made for a most pleasant sector. The experience quickly changed and my journey soured overall once we arrived at CDG. We were delayed leaving the plane as the airbridge broke down and as a result an entire 777 was unloaded via one set of steps, which took a while. Made it eventually to 2F for connection to MAN and told there was 15 minute delay to wait for further transit pax. In the end, we left over an hour late after a gate change and decision to use buses to the aircraft as the airbridge in 2F had broken down as well (two in one day). AF very poor at giving updates re the situation and tannoy announcements inaudible. We were eventually put on buses and driven to a stand but were then kept on the bus with the doors closed for about 15 minutes with no explanation or update, which was not entirely pleasant, before finally being allowed to board. Many passengers like myself had just come off red-eye flights and such a hitch at this point in the journey was very inconvenient. One suspects that a certain amount of responsibility lies with the airport authority and it is a shame that the AF experience is spoiled by the way in which CDG appears to be run. For one reason or another, all of my experiences of transiting CDG end up negative.

Air France review - by Judith Siford

8 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

LCY-NCE return. As a disabled traveller I am very impressed with Air France. I was met outside the airport at LCY by a smiling attendant, ultra fast checkin and he stayed with me until boarding time. Comfy seat, smiling cabin crew and tasty snack - excellent! Return flight nearly empty - a bit late but didn't bother me as again I was well looked after.

Air France review - by Martin Brown

4 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

MAN to CDG return in Economy. Self checkin was quick and easy on both occasions and there were 2 members of staff standing by the 2 machines in Manchester in case you needed assistance. Continental breakfast was served after take off outbound and the coffee was good. Staff were friendly enough. The only complaint I have was the seats on the A320 were quite hard and it was difficult to get comfortable (although seat pitch was fine) and flight out was a little late due to ATC issues. Return was a Fokker 700 operated by Regional leaving in the afternoon. Bag of pretzels and a drink, not as good as the breakfast, but the seats were a little more comfy, although still too firm. If my first choice of airline wasn't available, then I would consider Air France as a good alternative.

Air France review - by Tomas Besler

4 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

PRG-CDG-EZE and return. Flight from PRG to CDG was OK, but the refreshment was a joke - only crackers and one glass of juice! Paris to Buenos Aires in business so nothing to complaint about. Return was in economy, not that comfortable of course, but still ok.

Air France review - by J Seviour

2 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

The worst journey I ever had. I paid extra money to fly from Bristol to Chile with Air France, which is only 20 minutes drive from home - 3 hours before my flight from Bristol to Paris to make connection with my flight to Chile, they send me an e-mail saying, that my flight has been cancelled and I need to go to Heathrow airport in London - a 3 hour journey without traffic. I phoned and they send me back to Bristol, from there to Amsterdam and then to Paris. It was the journey from hell, do they know of the distances from airport to airport.

Air France review - by R Kahrsch

2 April 2008  Customer Trip Rating :

Air France flight from Stuttgart to Paris arrived 1.5 hours late. No information about transfer flights were given. I arrived after a 20 minute run through CDG Airport at the international terminal, where the Gate for the flight to Rio was closed. I got the information, that I should have come earlier - they do not wait more than 5 minutes for late passengers. Customer service was awful and rude. Had to wait over 12 hours in one of the world's worst and most expensive airports. The flight to Rio was very unconfortable (in an old 747). All in all I arrived about 16 hours late - but that was not all. The flight back from Sao Paulo was not much better. Chaos during check-in and long lines for security led into another run through the airport (I was again informed, even though I checked-in on time the plane would not wait). I just made it, some people behind me not. The plane arrived a little late, so I had to run through CDG Airport again, as the flight to Stuttgart was supposed to be on time. After arriving at the gate no information was given, but I had to wait 2 hours in complete chaos. They switched the plane and we had to take an at least 20 years old plane from another airline, where the decoration was falling off. In the end they also managed to lose my luggage, which I am still waiting for.

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